Today, braking systems such as hydraulic, electrohydraulic, pneumatic, electropneumatic, or electromechanical braking systems may be increasingly electrically controllable. The electrical control may permit a pressure build-up in the wheel brakes independent of the driver's braking intent, i.e. of the brake pedal operation by the driver. Such electrical controls of braking systems may be used, for example, for implementing an anti-lock control (ABS, i.e., anti-lock (braking) system) or an electronic stability program (FDR or ESP).
A purpose of an anti-lock (braking) system (ABS) may include to prevent the vehicle from slipping due to its wheels locking while braking, in particular on a slippery surface. For this purpose, when the driver operates the brake pedal for an extended period of time, sensors determine whether the individual wheels are locked, and whenever this is the case, the brake pressure on the corresponding wheel brakes is reduced. In such an anti-lock (braking) system, the front wheels of the vehicle may be (but not necessarily) separately and consequently differently controlled, while the rear wheels are controlled together.
An electronic stability program (FDR or ESP) is used to monitor steering, braking, and gas pedal inputs by the driver in order to prevent the vehicle from slipping as a result of false inputs. In this context, false inputs are intercepted by targeted braking actions at the individual wheels.
Similar to braking systems controlled by electrical controls, steering systems may also be controlled by motor-driven steering systems. In this context, the power of a power source of an electromotor, for example, is able to be superimposed on the steering-wheel power applied by the driver, e.g. using a control element for the superimposed steering action. On the one hand, an effect supporting the steering-wheel power of the driver is able to be achieved. On the other hand, steering signals that increase the driving safety and/or the driving comfort are able to be applied to the steering systems of the vehicle. Such a motor-driven steering system is described in German Published Patent Application No. 40 31 316, for example.
A combination of a control of a braking system and of a steering system of a vehicle is described in European Published Patent Application No. 0 487 967 (vehicle having an anti-lock controller). Reference is made to this patent with respect to the entire content. In short, a yawing moment compensation (GMK) for a vehicle equipped with an anti-lock (braking) system (ABS) is described in European Published Patent Application No. 0 487 967. The yawing moment compensation determines a correction steering angle to compensate for the yawing moment of the vehicle occurring when braking on an inhomogeneous roadway (e.g. a μ-split) due to different braking forces on the left or right wheel(s).